Calcium (Ca(2+)) transients have been shown to take place in response to diverse developmental and physiological cues. Also, it is involved in biotic and abiotic stress signaling. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule that plays a crucial role in plant growth and development, starting from germination to flowering, ripening of fruit and senescence of organs. Moreover, it plays a pivotal role in several biotic and abiotic stress signaling processes. In the present work, the ability of NO to trigger increases in cytosolic calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](cyt)) was investigated. For this purpose, transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings constitutively expressing the luminescent Ca(2+)-sensitive protein apoaequorin (35S::APOAEQUORIN) was employed. In chemiluminescence and in vivo Ca(2+) imaging assays, the NO-donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) triggered a strong, instantaneous, reproducible, and dose-dependent rise in [Ca(2+)](cyt). Moreover, the observed rise in [Ca(2+)](cyt) was shown to be NO-specific and not associated with decomposition products of SNP, as the NO-scavenger 2-4-carboxyphenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3 oxide (C-PTIO) significantly blunted the observed NO-mediated spike in [Ca(2+)](cyt). Interestingly, preincubation of 35S::APOAEQUORIN Arabidopsis seedlings with the plasma membrane channel blocker lanthanum chloride resulted in partial concentration-dependent blocking of the NO-specific Ca(2+) transient. This observation indicates that, in addition to the mobilization of [Ca(2+)](cyt), as an external source in response to NO treatment, there also exists an appreciable contribution of an as yet unidentified internal pool.
Keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; Nitric oxide; apoaequorin; calcium transients.